The Little Merman Named Zack
by Sasuke Kouken
Summary: Zack sees Prince Cloud Strife and wants nothing more than to become a human to win his heart after saving him from the storm but does he really know what's he getting into when Hojo offers the solution? CloudZack SquallAerith
1. Chapter 1

And you get another one from me! Or rather us since this is an RP between me and a friend on DA her account number is Shibara :D i don't know if she has an account here.

Title: The little merman named Zack

rating: T

pairings: CloudZack SquallAerith, onesided RenoZack

Summary: He's curious by nature so he couldn't help but try and see what the surface world was like. But after seeing the prince, he's head over heels and wants him bad. But does he really realize how bad the consequences might be if he doesn't get his kiss within 15 days?

I rp as Squall and Zack

She rps as Cloud and his doggy !

* * *

Aerith looked over at the merman swimming ahead of her. She watched as his hair floated behind him and wondered if he was all right. There hadn't been much action lately and she wondered if, with that fact in mind, if Zack had gotten bored. It would be so like him to want to do something crazy.

Zack sighed as they were swimming, and did a little flip before falling back and was swimming beside Aerith. "There's nothing to do here," he said before he looked up and smirked. "Hm...wanna hear an idea I have in mind?" he asked her.

Aerith looked at him almost warily. "What is it that you have in mind?" She asked then, giving him a small smile.

Zack grinned and started to swim up,"I wanna check out the surface, 'eagl doesn't let me." he said. "I've always wanted to look, come on!"

Aerith blinked. "Zack.. you know we shouldn't.. it's dangerous!" She said then but she found herself swimming up after him anyways. She had to admit she was kind of interested herself.

Zack chuckled and looked back at her,"But I bet it's way more interesting than just swimming around here. Besides as long as you don't tell Angeal and the other's we'll be fine!"he said as they got closer to the surface.

"I don't know Zack... what if we got hurt.. how would we explain to them we got hurt without saying anything? "

Zack pouted," We'll just say we were playing around in the coral and we weren't careful. Besides where is your sense of adventure?"

"My sense of adventure? What does that have to do with anything?" Aerith said then as she swam in front of Zack between him and the surface of the water, her arms crossed.

Zack smirked and swam around her," You know? Don't you like adventures like this? Come on you use to be so much fun!"

Aerith raised an eyebrow at this before she shook her head slightly and sighed. "oh Zack... you really are one hell of a talker..." She said then before she chuckled a bit. "alright fine... let's go. Don't expect me to take all the blame for this if we get in trouble though." She teased.

Zack grinned and hugged her,"You're the best Aerith!"he said as he tugged on her hand. "Let's go, we're almost there!"he said as he swam more.

Aerith laughed a bit at this before she let Zack pull her up. She was nervous of course, but also excited and curious. Who wouldn't be? Zack's excitement and curiousity was always contagious.

Finally Zack reached the surface and shook his head as he stared, "Woah..." he said, "So...this is what the surface looks like?" he said. The water was clear and it reflected the moon's light, and the stars were as clear as the sun. And as far as he could see, open skies and open water.

Aerith blinked, looking around when she surfaced beside him. "Woah is right... I never imagined it would look like this!"

Zack blinked and pointed at an object not too far away, "Look! I think Genesis showed me a picture of that...I think it's called a ship," he said. "Let's go check it out!"

Aerith looked over. "alright... but we have to be careful... I'm sure there will be what I believe are called humans on that boat... and it might not be a good thing if they see us.

Zack's looked at Aerith, his eyes sparkled with interest, "Humans? I wanna see!"he said and swam quickly towards the boat.

Aerith sighed. "Zaack." She said then before she shook her head gently, chuckling. She swam quickly after him.

Zack swam up to the boat but kept out of view,he pushed his wt hair out of the way."Wow..."he stared at the humans that were on the boat.

Aerith carefully came up beside him. "Wow... they definitely are interesting creatures aren't they?"

It was then that a huge furry creature came out of nowhere, sniffing at the mermaid and merman. It was a short-haired creature with golden yellow fur all over it's body and a long thin tail. It had four legs as it looked at them curiously. It barked loudly then at the two, sniffing continuously, as it's tail wagged.

Zack nodded his head,"Yeah...they're so different from us," he said. He stared at the strange creature and chuckled as he waved at it,"Aeirth what is that?"he asked. He blinked and then looked up and stared at one of the humans on the boat.

The golden thing barked again before he suddenly licked Zack's face and then Aerith's. Barking again before a voice from behind him made him lift his head and perk his ears up. "Hey! Ryosuke! Come here boy!" The creature, apparently named Ryosuke, barked again and ran over to the one who had called him. He barked again, jumping on a man with golden hair and blue eyes that matched the creature perfectly. If it hadn't been for their species you'd have thought they were twins as they played together.

Aerith shook her head. "I.. don't know what that is." She admitted.

Zack chuckled softly as the strange creature licked his face and Aerith's. His eyes followed 'Ryosuke' as he started to play with the human with godlen hair and blue gasped a little and tugged on Aerith's arm,"Look...isn't he handsome," he said and grinned.

Aerith squeaked a bit when she was licked. She glanced at Zack when he tugged on her arm before looking over. "Yes he is quite handsome." She said softly.

Zack nodded his head and sighed as he watched the blonde play with the four legged...thing, as Zack had called it. "He has pretty eyes..."he mumbled mostly to himself.

"Cloud," said a tall brunette with green eyes," they are about to start to bring out the gift that Tifa sent you for you birthday." he said sounding somewhat bored.

Aerith giggled a bit. "You sound like a love struck teenage girl." She teased before she gasped at the sight of the other man. "Wow.. now he's pretty handsome!" She said then.

The blond looked up upon hearing the brunette. "Alright Squall. I really don't understand why they make a huge deal about this sometimes." He said then, shrugging.

Zack pouted,"I do not...he's just really good looking," he mumbled as he looked up at the blonde that was apparently called 'Cloud'. He chuckled at Aerith,"Uh huh, he is," he said and smirked at his best friend.

Aerith giggled at this. "You sure you're not crushing on him Zacky?" She teased. Aerith blushed a bit. " I happen to be a sucker for green eyes. "

Squall sighed and shrugged his shoulders as he lead his friend to the main deck, "You know Tifa, she dots on you, after all you're childhood friends." he said. "...and of marrying age,"he added the last bit for only Cloud to hear.

Cloud stood, walking after Squall with Ryosuke right behind him. He sighed then. "As true as that is... Tifa knows I'm not interested in her that way. It would be weird... like dating my sister or something."

Zack blushed and looked away from Cloud and pouted at Aerith,"W-well what if I am?"he said and looked back on the boat. He chuckled a little bit,"Well, he looks like the calm sort, are you sure you're not crushing on this 'Squall'?"

Aerith smiled. "I think it's cute. " She blushed then. "W-Well.. I might be.. what business is it of yours?" She said back, pouting a bit herself.

Squall nodded his head in understand as the crew brought out the rather large gift. "True, but the kingdom expects you to find a wife soon and settle down." he said and sighed, "Politics probably." he said.

Cloud sighed then. "I guess that's true enough..." He grimaced a bit. "I'm really not looking forward to that though. Why should I marry just because my people expect me to?"

Zack chuckled"I guess we're both crushing on someone then," he said and ruffled her hair. "I wonder where this Cloud lives...and if he's always on a boat."

Squall shrugged his shoulders," I don't know how to answer, I'm just glad I am merely a duke and not a prince like you." he said and rested his hand on his shoulder."But keep in mind, just because they expect you to doesn't mean you have to do it yet." he said.

The crew set the gift on the main deck and placed it so that was facing Cloud. One of the crew members cleared his throat, "From Princess Tifa a gift you your majesty." The cover was taken off and it was reveled to be a painting of Cloud.

Aerith giggled a bit. "I guess. Hmm... I wonder if Squall lives in the same place." She said then, watching. Her eyes widened at the sight of the gift. "Wow... whoever gave that to Cloud is quite talented."

Cloud nodded. "Thanks for that Squall." He turned to the gift then and blinked. "Wow. She really wanted to impress me with this one." He commented then.

Zack nodded his head,"They seem to be friends maybe they do?"he said. He stared at the painting, "wow...they sure are I've only seen Gen make coral paintings...this looks so different."

Squall smirked a bit, "It seems she did, "he said and looked at it. "She put a lot of detail into this, you should probably make it clearer that you are not interested."

Aerith shrugged.

Cloud sighed at this, shaking his head a bit as he rubbed his temple with his finger and thumb. "I thought I'd made it clear enough... apparently she thinks she can convince me..." He said then, sounding annoyed. He frowned a bit, though he did have to admit her painting amazed him.

Zack looked at Cloud and then at the painting, pouting a little for some reason he felt jealous.

Squall smirked again,"If I was your advisor I would tell you to marry the girl, your kingdom will need an heir one day and what not. But as a friend I suggest putting a stop to this before anyone's feelings are hurt.

The wind started to pick up as well as the waves becoming less steady and unstable. It almost seemed like there was an up coming storm.

Cloud glanced up at Squall. "Then I appreciate the fact that you're my friend.. because I really don't need someone telling me to marry my friend that I consider a sister. " He frowned, wondering how in the world he was going to tell Tifa that he wasn't interested in a way she'd understand but wouldn't hurt her feelings at the same time. He looked up then, seeing the wind picking up. It didn't look good.

Squall nodded his head,"Then when we land after your little birthday party you should seek an audience with her and talk things through." he frowned at the suddenly strong wind, "This doesn't look good."

As if on cue there was a rumbling noise like thunder as it suddenly started to rain, the winds picked up more. The waves became stronger and more violent, rocking the ship around roughly, the sea was no longer calm and it seemed that the storm had finally started to hit.

Cloud nodded his silent agreement. He frowned at the winds before he was almost thrown overboard, barely bracing himself. Ryosuke barked loudly at the sudden rocking of the boat.

Squall barely managed to brace himself and held on to something. He looked over at Cloud and Ryosuke,  
"Are you two alright?" he said to them.

Aerith gripped at the boat a bit. "Woah... sudden change in the weather!" She commented, looking over.

Zack held onto the ship too, "Looks like it I just hope it doesn't get worse." he said.

Another violent wave hit the ship, making it rock violently again. There was a bit of thunder, a flash of lightening and heavier rain added to the mix. The waves crashed against the ship, rocking it from side to side, up and down.

Cloud was thrown for a bit of another loop, managing to grab onto the side of the boat. He looked over to Squall. "Yeah.. For the moment at least!" He called out. Ryosuke whimpered, his claws trying to find something to cling onto, but with the now soaked wood from the rain he couldn't find anything at all as he slipped and slid all over the place.

Aerith closed her eyes for a moment. "Looks as if whoever gives people their hopes isn't listening right now Zack!"

Squall nodded his head, but the waves picked up more, splashing the ship and soaking those on crew members hurried about trying to keep the ship from taking too much damage and on course.

Zack looked worried at Aerith, "I hope nothing bad happens," he said as his eyes glanced at Cloud.

Aerith nodded to Zack. She hoped with him. That was when everything seemed to go wrong. The thunder struck loud overhead, scaring Ryosuke a bit. He jumped, slipping again and the watery terrain he was now on caused him to slip towards the side of the boat fast. Cloud cried out at this, moving to go and try to help the large dog but it was too late as the dog crashed straight through the railing and into the sea. Ryosuke barked loudly in fear once he resurfaced, trying to keep afloat. "Ryosuke!" Cloud cried out before he stood shakily and ran towards the side.

Cloud saw the dog and immediately dived into the water after him. He wouldn't lose his dog who had been one of his only friends for a long time now. Cloud resurfaced after a while and immediately began searching for the dog. Ryosuke barked again, drawing Cloud's attention to him. Cloud swam over, grabbing him. "I've got you boy.. it's alright." Ryosuke was still frantic, but not as bad now. Cloud looked around, finding a wooden plank and swimming him and Ryosuke over to it. He got the dog on but there wasn't enough room for him as well. "Stay boy.. it'll be alright." Cloud said to the whimpering dog. He began to swim to a nearby barrel that had fallen off the ship before he heard a shout. He looked up and his eyes went wide as a huge object that he couldn't discern the identity of came flying towards him. He tried to move out of the way but couldn't make it in time and was hit hard. He grabbed onto the floating barrel, holding on for a while before his vision started going and his grip released, dragging him into the rolling waves.

Squall yelled at Cloud but he knew that it wouldn't stop his friend from trying to reach Ryosuke. He yelled an order at crew to get a lifeboat to go help the prince and his dog. The winds were violent, the wooden floor wet, the men slipped clumsily around as they tried to get the lifeboat. Panic filled Squall as he shouted at his friend as an object flew towards him, hitting him hard on the head. "Hurry, were is the lifeboat the prince is in danger!" he yelled. Dread filled Zack's being as he watched what happened but when Cloud went under water he didn't even spare a glance at Aerith and dove right after him. Under the surface the sea was calm, you could hardly tell there was a storm up there. He looked around and spotted Cloud, swimming quickly he reached him. Zack wrapped his arms around him and trying to swim back up to the surface. Keeping Cloud's head above water he glanced at the ship, it was slightly far away. Zack looked to his right and looked determined as he started swimming as quickly as he could while holding Cloud; he could swim to land.

Aerith's eyes widened. "Zack!" She cried before watching him. She watched the scene for a while longer before she dove down into the water as well. She watched Zack before following after him, staying under water so as to know he'd be alright.

Ryosuke barked crazily, wanting to go after his master but unable to because of his fear. He whimpered but saw his master's head come up a fair distance away. He seemed to be with another so he quieted a bit, his tail down and his ears flat as he whimpered.

Cloud had a vague feeling of being pulled through the waves but his vision and mind continued to swim and he had no idea what was going on at the moment.

Finally Squall and the crew managed to get the lifeboat once the sea had calmed down a little bit. He urged them on as they reached Ryosuke, "Come on boy,"Squall called to him as he scanned the area for any sign of Cloud.

Zack was so focused on Cloud he didn't even notice that Aerith was following after him. Finally, after reaching land, Zack struggled a bit to get Cloud on the sandy beach. Zack's mertail helped a bit as he sighed feeling tired. He looked at Cloud; close up he looked just as handsome to him. Zack smiled a little and brushed some of his hair out of his face, sighing a bit, "Please be ok..." he said. He didn't understand what drove him to dive right after Cloud, but all he knew was that all he wanted at that moment was for Cloud to be all right. It wasn't as if he had never heard about humans drowning in the ocean, his father had told him stories. But…he didn't want Cloud to suffer that fate.

Ryosuke whined a bit before he carefully hopped over into the boat, sitting beside Squall. He looked out to where he'd seen his master and barked again before whimpering.

Aerith watched the two from a distance, not wanting to get in the way.

Cloud felt his body against the sand, feeling almost as if he was still somewhere between the real world and a dream. He heard a voice then. It was so melodic, almost like a song and it was filled with what sounded like concern... concern for him? He couldn't let them stay worried and concerned when he was fine.. it wasn't his way. Besides, he had to thank them for surely they'd saved his life. He groaned a bit then as he shifted slightly against the sand, his eyes opening slightly upon feeling the hand on his forehead moving his hair out of the way. He saw a blurred shape of what looked like a person and dark black hair. He'd never seen hair so black before and it immediately caught his attention.

Squall and the rest of the crew searched the area, scanning around to see if the could spot  
Squall ordered them to head to shore saying that the prince might have washed up on shore.

Zack gasped a little when Cloud had slightly opened his eyes they looked a little unfocused. But to Zack they were just as amazing, they had the same shade of the sky on a clear day. He couldn't help but grin as he brushed a bit of sand off his face. Zack sighed, "You're awake, I'm glad." he managed to say. He sighed as relief washed over him, since it seemed that Cloud was waking up, it meant that he would be all right. He kept smiling at Cloud as he cleaned the sand from his face; it gave him an excuse to look at his pretty blue eyes. "Gee….Aerith is right, I am acting like some lovesick teenage girl…"he thought to himself.

Cloud blinked a bit then, his vision focusing slightly, but not much. He could make out a smile on the other's face. "Who... are you?" He said then, wanting to know who to be thankful for. Aerith saw the others then. "Zack! They're coming!" She called out to him in warning. Ryosuke sniffed at the air and barked excitedly when he smelled Cloud's scent, his tail wagging happily.

Zack kept his bright smile and was about to answer when he heard Aerith's warning. A look of sadness crossed his face, "I..." he than heard the barking. He looked up and away from Cloud as he pouted a little bit, he knew that they were close. And he didn't even get a chance to tell Cloud his name.  
"Cloud!" came Squall's voice. Zack used that moment to slip away to where Aerith was and hid from view. Squall came running on the beach calling Cloud's name again.

Cloud blinked when the man above him seemed suddenly sad. He heard the barking then and Squall's voice and turned towards them for just a moment. He looked back then and saw the man was gone. He very carefully sat up, looking around and trying to find him without any success. Who was he? Was he someone that he just came up with in his mind to explain something to himself? But, his voice... his face. They looked so real. He didn't have long to contemplate this as Ryosuke came running up out of nowhere and pounced on Cloud, licking his face. This brought Cloud out of his thoughts as he cried out in surprise, laughing as Ryosuke's tongue hit his skin. "ok! Ok! Ryosuke get off me you overgrown puppy! Haha! alright alright! I got it! You missed me.. I missed you too you overgrown furball now get off!" He cried out then, gently pushing the dog off who barked loudly again. Ryosuke ran towards Squall, who he'd left behind in his excitement and barked some more as if to say 'Over here! He's over here! I found him!'

Squall ran towards the barking and saw both Ryousuke and Cloud. He sighed in relief, "Cloud, you're alright I had feared that with such a storm." he said and shook his head placing his hand on Cloud's shoulder in a comforting way.

Cloud blinked at this, petting Ryosuke when he came back, his tail still wagging as if he was trying to create a sandstorm. Cloud gave Squall a small smile. "Of course I'm alright. I had..." at this Cloud looked out again, his eyes narrowed before he looked at Squall again. "Did you... see anyone here?" He asked his friend in confusion. He could have sworn that someone had saved him. He remembered that much clearly.. or had that been a dream?

Aerith watched the scene before turning to Zack. "You going to be alright?" She asked him softly.

Zack peeked out from behind the rock and stared at Cloud, a mixture of sadness, longing yet happiness filled his eyes. He sighed, "I dunno but...I know that...I'll see him again, I want to see him again." he said.

Aerith smiled softly. "Well, from the look on Cloud's face... he wants to see you again too. You only get one chance to make a good impression Zack... and I think you really made a great impression on that young man. "

Squall arched an eyebrow at the question and shook his head,"No, not that I noticed,but we only just got here, why do you ask?"he questioned him.

Zack stared at Cloud again before looking at Aerith grinning brightly. "You think so?"he asked as he smiled. His mertail wagged, it happened mostly when he was happy and made splashing noises.

Cloud narrowed his eyes a bit and looked out. "Squall... someone saved my life... they were here when I awoke... but before I could get their name, they heard the two of you coming and left... I didn't get a good look, my vision fuzzy still... but I've never seen such... black hair before..." Ryosuke blinked, barking slightly at this.

Aerith smiled. "Of course Zack. Can't you see how he keeps looking around? I'm sure he's searching for something... and that something could only be you! Now calm that tail of yours down before you give us away. " She teased.

Squall looked at Cloud wanting to say that may be he had gotten hit on the head too hard. But when he saw the serious look on his face he decided not to. "But...who? Who would have been out there in the middle of a storm?" he asked.

Zack was still smiling as he blushed a bit and chuckled, he looked back at Cloud and sighed. He grinned sheepishly as he stopped his tail from moving so much. "You know... there's your Squall," he said and smirked.

Cloud sighed then, closing his eyes for a moment. "I.. don't know Squall... but I just.. know there was someone. It was too real to be a dream... It was just... too real." It was clear Cloud was so sure, yet not sure at the same time. Cloud hated being unsure of anything and so this infuriated him.

Aerith blushed a bit. "Oh be quiet." She teased him. "It's not like going over to him right now and saying hi would be the best way to introduce myself to him.

Squall sighed as well,"If you say so Cloud but next time this rescuer of yours shows up, try to get a name." he said. He looked up at the castle, "Come on we better go before they send the whole kingdom out to look for you."

Cloud frowned a bit. "What.. and you don't think I did try to get a name? He was about to tell me I'm sure before he heard barking and it scared him off or something." Cloud glanced up at the castle then before he sighed. He stood up a bit shakily before getting his balance again and nodded. "You're right Squall... like you usually are. Let's get going."

Squall offered Cloud help if he needed any as they walked towards the castle. "I try not to make it a habit," he said and looked over at Ryosuke, "Come on, mutt" he said in an affectionate manner.

Cloud chuckled a bit. Ryosuke turned to the water for a moment, tilting his head as he smelled something familiar. He heard Squall then and barked happily, turning and running off after them.

Zack chuckled a little bit, "I guess and they would probably surprised to see that we are merpeople." he said. He glanced back at them and smiled fondly at Cloud.

Aerith nodded, sighing a bit. "Well, looks like they're going home Zack... we should probably do the same."

Zack nodded his head as they left the beach,"Yeah...otherwise my brothers will start to wonder where I had gone off to this time."he said as he dove underwater waiting for Aerith.

Aerith watched them for a little while longer before she dove after Zack. She was soon beside him. "Next time you plan on coming to the surface make sure you tell me.. I'd love to join you." She smiled.

Zack swam with his belly facing up, it wasn't hard and it relaxed him as he chuckled a little bit. "I bet you would, hoping to see Squall again?" he said and smiled. "I wonder..." he said softly to himself.

Aerith rolled her eyes at this. Mostly because it was true. She blinked then, swimming gently beside him. "What is it Zack? "

Zack sighed again as he swam next to her, "I wonder...what would it be like to be like them, like humans?" he said as they got closer to the underwater castle that Zack lived in with the rest of his family. He was a curious person at heart, and seeing humans for the first time it wasn't so surprising that he wondered what it would be like to be like them instead of a merman.  
Aerith laughed a bit as she watched him. She thought about it then. "Well, unless your schedule has changed at all since the last time I saw it you didn't have anything trained today or yesterday, but you're scheduled for training tomorrow at the usual time. "

Zack groaned and floated in the water with a slight pout on his face. "Oh well, I can't get out of training, and looks like no one is awake just yet." he said. Zack smiled and hugged Aerith tightly, "We should get some rest, I'll sneak into my room before anyone wakes up and get some sleep." he said and yawned. "Bye Aerith," he said as he stared to swim towards his home.

Aerith giggled a bit at this. She hugged him back gently. "Good night Zack. Get as much sleep as you can." She said before swimming off.

Zack sighed as he did he best to quietly swim past Angeal's, Sephiroth' and Genesis' rooms he really hoped none had noticed that he wasn't around. He reached his room and floated down on his bed a big smile on his face as he snuggled into the pillows.


	2. Chapter 2

And you get another one from me! Or rather us since this is an RP between me and a friend on DA her account number is Shibara :D i don't know if she has an account here.

Title: The little merman named Zack

rating: T

pairings: CloudZack SquallAerith, onesided RenoZack

Summary: He's curious by nature so he couldn't help but try and see what the surface world was like. But after seeing the prince, he's head over heels and wants him bad. But does he really realize how bad the consequences might be if he doesn't get his kiss within 15 days?

I rp as Squall and Zack

She rps as Cloud and his doggy !

* * *

Aerith made it to her room without a fuss. Angeal had in fact noticed Zack's disappearance, but not enough that he was really worried about it and so didn't search for him or mention it to the others.

At most Zack got and hour or two of sleep before he had to wake up. He groaned and pouted a little,"It's too early..."he mumbled as he went and got ready. He swam slowly to the pratice grounds where the brothers trained even though there weren't fights.

Angeal was already up and warming up in the grounds when Zack came in.

Zack grinned at Angeal,"Morning!"he said sounding a bit tired. He started to warm up as well, keeping his tail still and from wagging lik it did sometimes. Genesis always told him it was a bad habit he had since he was small.

Sephiroth and Genesis were close by, but they were training on their own for the moment.

Angeal chuckled. "Morning Pup. You seem a bit tired at the moment... not sleep well?" He asked in slight concern.

Zack chuckled and rubbed the back of his head,"Eh...I a little bit,"he said and yawned.

Genesis chuckled as he swam by,"Hmph, is early morning practice too much for you?"he said in a teasing manner.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes at Genesis and nodded his head in a morning greeting to Zack and Angeal.

Angeal turned to them. "Morning Sephiroth... and Genesis give the pup a break. The waters were a bit weird last night. I had a little trouble sleeping myself.. but you know the Pup here is more sensitive to those things. "

Sephiroth smirked at and nodded,"He's right you know, I believe there might have been a storm."

Genesis sighed,"Tch, you two baby the pup too much, you'd think he was still 10 instead of 16," he said.

Zack sighed and shook his head,"Angeal you know Gengen likes to pick on me all the time."he said and chuckled. "Anyway, Angeal I need some help." he said and pouted.

Angeal shook his head at Genesis before he turned to Zack. He smiled brightly then. "What is it you need Pup? No need to pout."

Genesis rolled his eyes again as he went off to practice on his own like he normally does. Sephiroth leaned  
againat a pillar, having a small break.

Zack stopped pouting and grinned instead,"Can you show the move from last time? I still haven't gotten the hang of it."

Angeal chuckled. "Of course pup." He smiled before he grabbed a sword and slowly brought Zack through the move again.

Zack nodded his head and tried to pay attention to what Angeal was telling him,since he had asked for his mind kept wondering back to the night before, he even glanced up for a moment. He messed up a little and pouted in slight frustration.

Angeal noticed this and hummed. "Hey... you got your mind on other things? Anything you'd like to talk about? "

Zack sighed and put the sword down, he looked at for a moment and then at Angeal."I...Angeal why do you, Gen, Seph and father don't like the surface world?"he asked.

Angeal blinked. "Well... because it's dangerous.. according to father at least. They're always taking the fish of the sea and eat them when they aren't returned... To be completely honest.. I'm mostly just concerned for safety of the ones I love."

Zack pouted,"Well I think father is wrong I mean...how can a place like that, which makes so many intresting things like what I have fund could be bad?"he asked. He looked up towards the surface,"What if...it's beautiful up there,"he said his voice filled with a bit of longing.

Angeal blinked at this. He hummed. "It's possible." He said softly, seeing where Zack was looking.

Zack bit his lip and looked at Angeal out of his three older brothers, he trusted Angeal the most."Have you... ever been up there ?"he asked, making sure that Sephiroth and Genesis weren't close enough to hear either of them.

Angeal blinked at the question before he glanced around, making sure that no one could hear them before he looked back at Zack. He gave a small smile and nodded. "Yeah.. I have. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen... made me wonder why father was so afraid of it as well." he admitted.

Zack listened to Angeal's answer and gave a big smile as his mertail started to wag again."It is isn't?It's so pretty even the humans are-" he stopped onced he realized what he just said.

Angeal's eyes twinkled a bit then. "Ahh. So now we find out what the real story behind this is. You met a human and grew a crush?" He asked in an almost teasing way. "Way to go pup."

Zack floated there for a moment before his face turned bright red,"i... I couldn't help it, Cloud was jus so I don't know how to described it." he said as he managed to giggle a bit at the thought of Cloud.

Angeal smiled. "It's quite alright Pup. I believe there's someone out there for everyone. Maybe this 'Cloud' is your someone."

Zack grinned,his tail moving from side to side as he swam around Angeal. "Really?"he said as he did a litte flip,"you should have seen him Angeal, tallish, golden hair eyes that are blue like the sky and he's a prince too!"he said not noticing how much he sounded like a love striken teen.

Angeal chuckled a bit, watching him. "Calm down pup. If I didn't know better I would have sworn that you were only 13 with your first ever crush." He teased.

Zack stopped swimming around and pouted at Angeal, and hit him playfully with his tail."Well...can you really blame me?"he said and sighed. "Aerith said the same thing or something close to that,hey at least I'm not swimming around singing about how much I love him or something."he said not even noticing that he said love.

Angeal did notice that however and smiled. "At least there's that. I don't think I'd be able to handle you singing about how in love you are with this 'Cloud' person." He teased.

Zack pouted,"My siging isn't that bad after all Genesis was the one who taught me how to sing."he said and floated on his back sighing a bit till he finally blushed just a tad."W-wait! I can't love him...yet I mean..."he sighed.

Angeal chuckled. "Ever heard of love at first sight pup?" He said after listening to Zack's singing for a bit. He wouldn't admit it out loud but Zack wasn't that bad.

Zack stared at Angeal and then looked back up towards the surface, and smiled."Love at...first sight?I wonder if he feels the same way I mean...we only met once,"he said softly but loud enough for Angeal to hear him.

Angeal hummed, looking up as well. "It's hard to say. It would be almost impossible without knowing what he was like and seeing how he acted." Angeal answered simply.

Zack looked a little sad as he kept staring up towards the surface, and gave a little sigh."True..but he was looking around for me after the storm...thats what Aerith said."he said. Sighing again he closed his eyes  
relaxing a little,"I wonder...if I can go up and see him again."

Angeal's eyes sparkled a bit at this. "Well I think for his sake then I'll have to help you find time to go visit him." Angeal said then, glancing around to make sure no one was listening still. "Of course.. for yours as well. I don't think I could handle seeing you mope."

Zack looked at Angeal and gave a really big grin,"Really!"he said but kept his voice down and hugged Angeal. "Thank you,thank you!"he said and let as he started swimming around excitedly. "I wish I could be up there with him right now..."

Angeal chuckled a bit at this, smiling. He looked around then. "You know... Sephiroth and Genesis aren't here... and you're usually training with me.. I'll just go somewhere else to train and leave them a note that you went with me. " Angeal smirked then. "You're dismissed from training for today pup... go see your Cloud above the water."

Zack stared at Angeal and had the biggest smile that he could give him, "Angeal...thank you! I owe you so much!"he said and gave him a tight hug. "I'll be back as soon as I can!" he said and started to swim away he was headed to Aerith's house she would probably want to see Squall just like how he wanted to see Cloud.

Angeal chuckled. "You definitely do Pup." He said with an amused tone before he went about his plan for Zack. Aerith was at home working on some little projects she had to help fish who weren't as lucky as some other fish. She always took care of them.

Zack was smiling as he swam past her window, he noticed that she was working on her little projects and best friend always thought of others before herself; "Aerith! Aerith come on, I've got something to tell you!" he called out to her.

Aerith blinked, looking up at him. She smiled softly, setting what she'd been working on down before she swam over to the window. "What is it Zack?" She asked softly. She knew there was a chance it could be nothing, but more times then not it was something when he called to her like that.

Zack flipped around a bit, making a few bubbles and grinned up at her."I told Angeal about yesterday and he said I was free from training today so I could visit Cloud! You should come too, you might see your Squall!"he said.

Aerith blinked before she smiled brightly. "Really?" She said then, smiling. Her smile dimmed a bit then. "I almost feel like a stalker.. just going up and watching them... know what I mean?" She said then before she glanced behind her. "Hey... Zack... I have an idea.." She said softly then.

Zack pouted,"Well what else can we do?If I could I would give almost anything to walk right next to them." he said and sighed. He tilted his head," An idea? Uh oh...when you get ideas it's worse than me...I'm listening!"he said.

Aerith turned to him, giggling a bit. "What if.. we left them presents on the beach? Like, with a note, kind of telling about ourselves a bit maybe? Then it wouldn't be like a stalker... more of a secret admirer sort of thing. "

Zack hummed for a few moments before nodding his head,"Yeah! That could work, but...what kinda gifts could we give them?"he asked as he tried to think up some for Cloud. "And...how would we give it to them?"

"Maybe something we make... or something special to us? And again, we'd leave them on the beach. One of us distracts them by making noise or something... maybe attracting that four-legged thing's attention if it's with them and then the other will leave the gifts on the beach before we retreat again. " Aerith said softly, wondering herself what to leave for Squall.

Zack thought about and nodded his head,"Alright! I like this plan, we should go get our gifts now I'll met you back here when I find mine, ok?" he said as he swam around in a circle.

Aerith smiled brightly. "Of course. And don't forget to write a small note so that Cloud knows it's for him and not just something someone lost or something." She said softly before she looked back around her house, trying to think of something.

Zack nodded his head,"Got it!" he said and swam away, he knew exactly what he wanted to give was special to Zack, and he also made sure to try and write a note as neatly as he could so that Cloud would be able to read it.

Aerith thought long and hard about what to give Squall and eventually decided on a belt she'd woven from the strongest pieces of seaweed she'd found and then had dyed the yellow seaweed a deep green colour that happened to match Squall's eyes. It was stronger than most leather belts. She wrote a note then in her delicate writing that everyone had told her was some of the most beautiful writing in the kingdom.

Zack had settle on the blue pendent his mother had given him,it matched Cloud's eyes. He looked at the note he had written, it was easy to read but he wished he had better hand writing. He swam back to Aerith's house and waited by her window wondering if she was finished.

Aerith saw him there and smiled. She swam out of her house to meet him then, her gift and note in hand. "Ready to go?" She asked softly then, smiling brightly. It was clear though that as calm as she seemed, she was quite excited.

Zack nodded his head repeatedly,"Yes! Let's get going I remember the way to the beach." he said. He swam around in a circle before he swam upwards but not to fast so that Aerith could keep up.

Aerith laughed softly before she followed him quickly. She didn't need any encouragement this time.

Soon Zack broke through the surface and shook his wet hair, he looked around and spotted the beach. "Come on Aerith,"he said and swam towards it.

Aerith came up soon after him. She rolled her eyes a bti then. "Geeze, you don't have to go so fast!" She said then, laughing slightly. She soon caught up to him. She looked over. "You see them?" she asked curiously.

Zack pouted and looked around,"I don't see them...may be if I made noise?" he said. Zack bit his lower lip and started to move his tail around and made splashing sounds.

Aerith watched before sighing, thinking maybe they weren't out today.

Cloud had been walking along the beach, something he'd wanted to do almost ever hour of the day since he'd been rescued. He was walking with Ryosuke and had already began to go back for the day when Ryosuke suddenly stopped, his ears perking. He turned then. "Ryosuke? What's up?" Ryosuke turned to him before he barked suddenly and turned, running back towards the beach. Cloud blinked before he turned to Squall, who he'd managed to convince to come with him. "Well, let's go... unless you want to explain why you returned without the prince." He said teasingly before he chuckled and ran after the dog.

Zack pouted and refused to give up and kept moving his tail around still making the splashing noises.

Squall chuckled and nodded his head as he followed after him, "I'd rather not explain that, Tifa can be a nightmare to deal with when it concerns you." he said as he walked beside Cloud, whom was following after Ryosuke.

Aerith sighed. She was about to tell Zack to stop when she heard barking. "Look!" She said then as the four legged creature came jumping out of nowhere. Ryosuke's tail wagged happily as he barked again, looking for the source of the sound. Cloud came behind him soon after, panting heavily as he bent over a bit to catch his breath.

"What is it boy?" Cloud asked him barked loudly, looking at Cloud before he looked around again.

Zack looked and saw the four legged creature and grinned, he slowed his tail down but splashed a little bit still. "Hurry we should put our presents somewhere so they can find them, they must be close." Zack said.

Squall was catching his breath as he looked around,"What's up with your dog Cloud?"he said. "Did he see or hear something?" he asked.

Aerith nodded then. "But where?" She said softly. Somewhere they could easily find but not where the humans would be able to see them easily.

Cloud was still panting heavily. "I don't speak dog Squall.. so I don't know for sure.. but I think.. he heard something." He panted.

Zack kept splashing around waiting for them to get closer, he spotted a small opening near the rocks. A place that could be found easily, "There!"he said and pointed at it.

Squall nodded his head and wiped his a bit of sweat away,"So, Ryosuke, what's up boy? Found something interesting that we gotta run around?"he asked and sighed.

Aeris saw it and smiled brightly. She carefully swam over, putting her note and present down before she came back. She smiled before she began to splash a bit so that the dog would be distracted with her while Zack went and put his down.

Ryosuke barked again, his ears perked as he sniffed around, trying to find the source of the sound. It sounded familiar.. and the scent in the air was familiar too. Cloud hummed then. "come on Ryosuke.. I have faith in you. You can find it."

Zack stopped splashing and swam towards it and placed his present and note there. He sighed and hoped that their gifts would be found. He swam back to Aerith and splashed his tail around with her.

Squall looked out towards the beach more," Perhaps it's something on the beach?"he asked Cloud and Ryosuke.

Aerith smiled a bit at him as she watched.

Ryosuke sniffed a bit, having smelled the scent move. He barked again before he ran off, following where they scent had gone. His nose was to the ground before he blinked in surprise when it hit something. He turned then and barked loudly. Cloud recognized that bark. "He's found something!" Cloud said, running over to where Ryosuke was.

Zack stopped splashing and tugged on Aerith's arm,"Let's hid," he said and swam to a rock to hid behind it.

Squall arched an eyebrow and followed after Cloud, wondering what Ryosuke had found and at the beach too. "What is it?" he asked as he kept up with them.

Aerith smiled, following him silently to watch. Cloud blinked. "Have a look for yourself.." He said then, looking at the two objects with what seemed to be notes on top of them. "They... seem to have been left here on purpose." He said softly. "Especially from how neatly they seemed to have been placed. " Ryosuke sniffed out one of them before he barked again, pointing to the note on top of the blue pendant. Cloud blinked, walking over before he gasped. He looked at the other one before looking up. "Hey... Squall... they have our names on them..."

Squall frowned and walked over to where the packages were and picked up the one with his name on it."Who...could have left them here?"he said and grabbed the note to read it he wondered if there was more to it.

Zack watched quietly and felt a little bit nervou,knowing that Cloud was going to or was already reading his note.

Aerith remembered the note she'd left. It said simply, that her name was Aerith and that she wished she could get to know him but because of certain circumstances, she couldn't, so she wanted to give him the belt in a sign of friendship.

Cloud picked up the note then, carefully opening it as he read the contents of the note. Ryosuke was surprisingly silent for once.

Squall read the note,he found the hand writing beautiful and looked at the gift."Aerith..."he said her name out loud. He looked around and frowned a bit wondering what could be these circumstances be that could keep her from getting to know seemed odd.

Zack smiled,in his note and in slightly messy han writing said: his name was Zack, the pendent was a gift from his late mother but he wanted Cloud to have he also mentioned that he should be more  
careful aroud storms,hinting that he was the one who saved him.

Aerith smiled brightly when she heard him say her name like that.

Cloud blinked, picking up the pendant gently as he read. He blinked at the part about the storm before his eyes widened slightly and he chuckled. "Zack huh... if only I could meet you in person... I'd tell you how much I appreciate what you did for me..." He said softly, holding the pendant close to his chest as if it was some kind of good luck charm.

Squall sighed as he spotted no one and looked at the belt he smiled for a small second when he realized the belt's color matched his eyes."She... must be very thoughtful,"he said softly before he looked at Cloud and than at the pendent. "Heh,seems that we have secret admirers Cloud."

Zack grinned at what Cloud said and sighed leaning against gave a small smile when he noticed how his pendent was held,"He better take good care of it..."he mumbled.

Cloud chuckled a bit, looking at Squall. "Looks like it." He agreed. "They must know each other for the gifts to be close like that." He said softly. Cloud glanced at the pendant again before he very carefully slipped it over his neck. He held it gently in his hand before he smiled softly. "Same colour as my eyes."He noted.

Aerith smiled. "From that alone, I'm pretty sure he's going to take excellent care of it Zack." She smiled. She sighed a bit then. "If only we could do more than just, give them notes and watch from afar..." She said then.

Squall nodded his head,"perhaps they are friends or something around those lines."he said and replaced the belt he had with the one Aerith had given he gave one of his very rare smiles.

Zack nodded his head and looked a little sad,"I know...I don't want to just watch from a far, I want to be near him."he said and frowned. "There has got to be some way..."he mumbled.

Aerith gave a small smile when she saw Squall put the belt on. She sighed a bit again, lying her head on the rock as she tried to think. "I know the trident would be able to change us... but I doubt anyone would let us use it..." She frowned.

Cloud saw this. "Well I'll be. This girl must have really hit a chord with you Squall. It's been a long time since I've seen you smile like that. "

Zack frowned,"Father wouldn't allow it, even if I begged him to do it."he said and looked at Cloud. "I don't  
know any other way...any other safe way..."he mumbled as he leaned against the rock.

Squall rolled his eyes,"Hpmh,you must be seeing things Cloud,I didn't smile."he said even though he knew that was a lie.

Aerith sighed as well, glancing away from Squall for a moment before she blinked. She looked into the water, thinking she'd heard... something. Maybe she was imagining things.

Cloud chuckled at this. "Sure Squall... and Ryosuke is a mouse." He said chuckling.

Zack bit his lower lip and looked away from Cloud, he looked at Aerith and noticed that she was looking at  
the water."What is it?"he asked as he looked at her.

Squall looked at Ryosuke,"Hm...yes a rather large mouse."he said and sighed."We should probably head  
back, after all you still need to talk with Tifa."

"I... thought I heard something.." She said then, biting her lip a bit.

Ryosuke barked a bit then as if to say 'Hey! I'm not a big mouse!' Cloud laughed, petting Ryosuke a bit. He sighed then. "yeah.. you're right. Especially after this... I know I could never marry Tifa... I could never love Tifa that way."

Zack looked at her curiously and then at the water,"I'll take a look," he said and slipped underwater looking around to see if he spotted anyone or anything.

Squall chuckled at Ryosuke before he smirked at Cloud a litle bit,"Then I must ask, who exactly do you intend to marry?"he asked Cloud.

Aeris watched him. "Careful." She said softly.

Cloud looked up at Squall. "I would like to marry my saviour..." He mumbled so that only Squall and Ryosuke could hear him. "I.. can't explain why... but there's just something about my saviour that drew me close.

Zack looked back up at Aerith before he dove deeper and swam around looking a little bit confused."Hello? Is there someone there?"he called out.

Squall chuckled and nodded his head at Cloud,"I see, well as long as this 'Zack' proves to be a good person I aprove your choice. But you must understand that they kingdom wants a heir and from what I gather Zack is a man. You are going to have a long hard talk with your advisors over that matter."he said and sighed.

Aerith followed Zack after a moment then, looking around cautiously.

Cloud sighed at this as well. "Yes.. I know... even so... if my kingdom wants an heir and Zack is alright with it.. if we do.. I might just have to take a mistress or something..." It was clear from the way Cloud said it that he really didn't approve of this idea.

Zack pouted and looked at Aerith he shook his head,"I don't see anyone Aerith,"he said and sighed."That's weird...are you sure you heard something?"

Squall frowned, showing that he himself didn't like the idea."If you actually do that I'd be surprise you of all people loath that type of thing. .."he said.

Aerith sighed. "I don't know... I might have imagined it... " She said then, frowning a bit at her own unsureness.

Cloud sighed. "I know.. and I do... depending on the circumstances though I might have to consider it." He grimaced. "Either that or I might just adopt outright."

Zack sighed and shrugged his shoulders,"Well..may be the left?"he said. "I...gues we can head back now your mom is probably worried about you and I don't want to get you into trouble."he said as he laziedly  
started to swim towards where the other merpeople lived.

Squall shook his head,"Out of all those options I'd rather adopt than go to bed with someone I don't love just to have an heir."he said.

Aerith sighed. "maybe..." She smiled then. "Zack, I don't mind getting into trouble it if means getting to spend time with you.. you know that." She laughed a bit.

Cloud nodded then. "I agree... I wouldn't be able to do it anyway." He said then, meaning sleeping with someone he didn't love just for an heir.

Zack grinned and chuckled a little bit,"Well you might not mind but your mother does and I don't want  
her to scold me."he said and grinned."Besides...I don't want to get Angeal in trouble for covering for me..."

Squall nodded his head in agreement, he looked up at the sky and notice that the sun was setting. "We should head back...it's late afternoon and you are not going to wiggle out of talking with Tifa. Come on,"he said.

Aerith giggled. "True enough. Let's go then." She smiled, swimming along beside him.

Cloud snapped his fingers almost playfully then. "Drat, and here I thought I'd be able to find a way out of it." He said then before he stood up.

Zack swam along looking both happy and yet sad,he looked again and wondered what Cloud was up  
sighed and kept swimming towards where they live.

Squall rolled his eyes at him as he started to walk away,"Uh huh, now come on or do I have to drag you?"

Aerith sighed as she swam a little closer to him, wanting to try and comfort him a bit if she could.

Cloud chuckled. "Yeah yeah I'm coming I'm coming." He said then, following after Squall with Ryosuke close on his heels.

Zack looked at Aerith and gave her a smiled,"I'm fine, you don't need to worry but I think you finally got Squall to be smitten with you." he said and winked.

Aerith giggled a bit, smiling. "Well I'm pretty sure you've caught Cloud's interest too."

Zack chuckled as they got closer to home,"I hope so...I dunno he's a prince Aerith don't land princes get engaged to land princesses?" he asked.

Aerith raised an eyebrow. "Zack... Cloud seems like he's different than other land people, much less land princes. I have a feeling that Cloud isn't engaged to anyone at the moment.

Zack smiled, "For some reason I believe you,"he said and grinned. He sighed as he spotted the castle and wondered what his brothers were up to and he knew he had to thank Angeal. "And I bet that Squalls free too," he said and smirked.

Aerith blushed a bit. "I hope so." She admitted as she swam with him. "Good luck." She said then, meaning with the castle in case something happened to ruin his plans.

Zack nodded his head,"Thanks I'll see ya later ok?"he said and gave her a hug than swam back to the castle. He reached it and sighed he looked around wondering where Angeal was so he could thank him.

Aerith smiled, hugging him back gently before she watched him go for a moment. She swam back to her home after a while though. Angeal, at this point, was sitting in his room after having gotten back from training. When they asked him where Zack was, he'd told them that Zack had wanted to stay a little longer to do something... and that he wouldn't tell him what.

Zack pouted when he didn't find him at the training grounds and went by their rooms. He stopped and knocked on Angeals room to see if he was there. He knew that Genesis would probably be reading in the libary and Sephiroth talking with father.

Angeal looked up then. "come in." He said then, sitting up gently.

Zack opened the door and smiled at Angeal,"Hey Angeal,"he said and sat next to him,"I wanted to thank you for you know..covering for me!"he said and smiled.

Angeal smiled brightly. "Not a problem. From the smile on your face.. I take it you got to see him again?" He chuckled a bit.

Zack sighed and nodded his head,"Yeah it went really well," he said and sat on the bed."Angeal...I think you're right...I actually love him." he said and chuckled. "How did you know?I thought romantic stuff was Gen's speciality."

Angeal chuckled a bit. "Come on... hang around that Loveless reciting freak and you're going to eventually have some of it rub off on you... besides.. I may not be an expert but I can tell a bit when someone's in love." He smiled.

Zack chuckled and nodded his head in understanding,"Yeah I guess your right, I still wonder why Gen is so  
into that play."he said."Hm...you sound like someone who has been in love before,"he said and smirked.  
"I'm just kidding I wouldn't know since none of you guys talk to me about this stuff."he said and yawned  
a little bit

Angeal blinked at this. He chuckled then, smiling softly at the pup. He messed with Zack's hair then. "Looks like someone's tired from his adventures. Why don't you go rest Puppy?" He suggested softly.

Zack pouted when his hair was messed with and gave another yawn rubbing his eyes a little bit."I'm... not that tired"he protested against the suggestion before he gave a really big yawn. "Mmmm may be you are right,I'll go take a small nap,"he said and gave Angeal a hug,"Thanks again Angeal,"he said as he swam out  
of his room and to his own. He laid down and sighed looking up at the ceiling,"I wish I knew how to become human..."he mumbled before he fell asleep.


End file.
